PureVPN

PureVPN are the pioneers of the VPN market, as they were one of the first VPN companies established. However, just because a company is a pioneer does not necessarily mean it is currently a top service. We remember testing out the PureVPN client some years ago. The software was clunky, the features were not entirely impressive, the support was adequate and most of all, the uptime was extremely inconsistent. Nevertheless, they have come a long way and have had plenty of time to tweak their service, which they have impressively done. Today, they are among the largest VPN providers in the market. They have been featured on TechCrunch, PC Magazine, Lifehacker and CNet. So, how does PureVPN rank now? We review, you decide!

Features

In the age of information, it is imperative for businesses to be completely transparent about their product or service. Look at most VPN providers’ websites, even the top ranked ones. It is often very difficult to find detailed information about all aspects of their services. This is not the case with PureVPN. Everything from security to pricing is fully outlined on their website, however they really go to great lengths in providing specifics about their feature list. Before we get to some unique PureVPN features, here is a list of main features that are offered:

Unlimited bandwidth (no throttling)

Unlimited server switches

Unlimited speed

PPTP, L2TP, SSTP, IKEv2 and OpenVPN protocol options

99.99% uptime

Internet kill switch

Smart purpose selection & automatic protocol selection

5 simultaneous logins

Split tunneling

NAT firewall add-on

Looking at all of the VPN services we have reviewed, none come close to PureVPN in regard to the amount of features offered and the innovativeness behind it. Firstly, PureVPN offers 335 servers in 53 countries, and more than 40,000 IP addresses. Also, the internet kill switch is fantastic. If you lose internet connection, your real ID could be exposed, albeit for a few seconds. With this switch, PureVPN eliminates this potential threat. Split tunneling is another dazzling feature. This allows you to split your data traffic, and choose what and what not to tunnel. We could go on and on, such as PureVPN offering stealth VPN browser, a dedicated IP, dedicated streaming, and intuitive mobile apps (along with compatibility on almost all desktop platforms), but there is just too much to list. However, we would like to mention one last thing. A huge plus for potential customers is the 3 day free trial. Many VPN providers will limit you on what you can use on a free trial. PureVPN allows you to experience the software to its fullest on every package, including the free trial.PureVPN Server Locations: United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Egypt, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Panama, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Poland, Argentina, Belgium, Denmark, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Vietnam, Iceland, Spain, Finland, Lithuania, Austria, Slovakia, Albania, Estonia, and Moldova.

PureVPN Split Tunneling Feature

Privacy

PureVPN takes security very seriously, though this is one of the less talked about factors on their website. While many people who are searching for a VPN provider may look into features and ease of use, chances are those same people care more about security. After all, isn’t that what VPN is supposed to provide? That said, PureVPN undoubtedly ranks in the top 3 VPN services for security. They deliver military grade encryption (256-bit) like most top VPN providers. Your Wi-Fi access over a public connection will be secure. Also, as mentioned above, they employ a feature called the “Internet Kill Switch” which eliminates any threat in the case of a few seconds of downtime. And of course, per their TOS, they do not log any information what-so-ever.

Pricing

Until recently, this was the one category in which many potential customers complained. PureVPN offered only 2 plans at okay pricing at best. They have since upgraded their pricing structure to be more competitive and in line with what you should expect from a top VPN service. Their 1 month plan costs $9.95/month. Their 6 month plan costs $44.95 ($7.49 per month). Lastly, their 12 month plan costs $49.95 which averages out to $4.16 per month. Additionally, they have a 3 day money back guarantee which is more than enough time to see if the service is right for you, especially since the trial package comes with zero restrictions.

PureVPN Pricing

Speed

PureVPN guarantees 99.99% uptime which is tops in the industry. Out of a one month period, we personally experienced a total of 6 minutes of downtime (out of 43,200 total monthly minutes). Furthermore, they do not cap your bandwidth which many providers these days do. Also, one of their unique features is the ‘speed boost’ which can increase your speed by 20Mb/s. Overall, there is no question that PureVPN is a speed demon.

Ease of Use

While the download process may be slightly slower than ExpressVPN or IPVanish, setting up the PureVPN software takes, at most, several minutes. The added time is negligible. After you sign up, you will receive an email with various information (such as your username and password). Once you open the software, simply enter in the details and you will be ready to go in no time. The dashboard itself was quite impressive and very different from all other competitors who generally seem to have similar layouts. The PureVPN layout involves 6 self-explanatory categories on the left sidebar of the software. These include ‘Dashboard,’ ‘Server Selection Tool,’ ‘Settings,’ ‘Billing,’ ‘Feedback,’ and ‘Support.’ It is clear where you will need to select your preferred server or where to edit your billing information. We found the entire software to be very straightforward and easy on the eyes.

PureVPN Dashboard

Customer Support

Hello support winner of the VPN market. PureVPN delivers the widest range of support options. Live chat, e-mail, phone (technically), a forum, FAQs, web based support form, etc. You name it, PureVPN has it. PureVPN claims not to have phone support, however if you request a call within an email to them, they will call you. We tested their support twice – once through e-mail and once through live chat. Support rep. ‘Dmitry Y.’ answered our call. He was very professional and answered a range of questions, including more technical ones, in a timely manner. We waited 2 minutes for live chat and about 30 minutes for an e-mail response.

Summary

PureVPN is a true all in one VPN provider. The innovative features, the tier 1 privacy measures, the recent upgraded pricing, the speed boost and optimized network, the intuitiveness, the quality and professional customer support – all of it comes together to produce, as they claim in their own words, the “world’s best VPN service,” or at the very least pretty close to it.